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Thursday, July 31, 2014

Welcome
to my stop on the Virtual Blurb Blitz Tour, presented by Goddess Fish Promotions for The Gull Motel
by Amie Denman. Please leave a comment or question for Amie.
to let her know you stopped by. You can
enter her tour wide giveaway, where Amie will be awarding print copies of her
three Barefoot novels from Turquoise Morning Press: Blue Bottle Beach, Will
Work for Love, and The Gull Motel to one randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter
during the tour (US ONLY), by filling out the Rafflecopter form below. You can also follow the rest of her tour here,
the more stops you visit, the better your odds of winning. You can also check out my review of this book here.

Savvy
Thorpe needs a vacation. Finally finished with college, she heads to her
favorite shabby motel on Florida’s Gulf Coast where her aunt and uncle always
save her room twenty-four. She quickly finds out, though, that The Gull Motel
is not just her home away from home. It’s hers to manage while her aunt and
uncle take an extended trip.

Skip
McComber, The Gull’s former maintenance man, has been working on Savvy’s nuts
and bolts for years. Now the new owner of the bar next door, his mission is to
renovate a pirate bar while being a walking temptation for the girl he can’t
get off his mind.

For
Savvy, keeping her cool running a motel in Florida heat is one thing, but
navigating the steamy waters of a former fling takes a whole other kind of
savvy. In addition to the motel and the man next door, Savvy stumbles on a plot
to swindle land from the residents of Barefoot Key. Devalued properties tumble
like dominoes until Savvy musters her colorful crew from The Gull Motel to make
the pillagers walk the plank.

EXCERPT

I
watched a fishing charter leave a wharf several properties farther down the
beach. I could see at least half a dozen people and lots of long fishing poles
sticking up all over the boat like a case of bed hair. An idea swirled through
my head like the sand between my toes.

“Fishing
charter,” a voice said behind me.

I
jumped. “You shouldn’t sneak up on people like that.”

“Hard
to make noise in sand,” Skip said.

“You
should try. I might have had a heart attack or something and then you’d have my
blood on your hands.”

Skip
picked up a long lock of hair brushing my shoulder and twisted it in his
fingers. He leaned forward just a little and glanced down my shirt. “You look
perfectly healthy to me.”

I
stepped back, hoping to restore my heart rate to something close to healthy.

“One
of these days we should talk about last spring,” he said. “Maybe over some
tequila.”

I
narrowed my eyes at him. “I thought you would have called me if you wanted to
talk. You’ve had plenty of time since April.”

Skip
put his hands in the pockets of his cargo shorts and rocked back on bare heels
in the sand. He was shirtless as usual. And he wasn’t taking my bait.

“Saw
you staring at the fishing charter boat,” he said.

“I
was thinking about something.”

“Thinking
of teaming up with a local charter and offering package deals? Could be a great
add-on to rooms at The Gull.”

My
heart rate steam-trained up the scale again. That was exactly the idea I’d been
formulating, and I didn’t appreciate him acting like it was his. The danger of
years of slightly-lusty friendship is that you can know a person too well. And
they’ve got your thoughts on speed-dial.

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

Amie
Denman lives in a small town in her native Ohio with her husband and sons. Her
two cats and large yellow labrador are kind enough to share a sunny office
where she lets her imagination run wild. Reading books was her favorite escape
as a child, and growing up four houses away from the community library
encouraged her addiction. When she's not reading or writing, she enjoys walking
and running outside. The helpless victim of a lifetime of curiosity, she's been
known to chase fire trucks on her bicycle just to see what's going on. Amie
believes that everything is fun: especially roller coasters, wedding cake, and
falling in love.

Welcome
to my stop on the Virtual Blurb Blitz Tour, presented by Goddess Fish Promotions for Joeby H.D. Gordon. Please leave a comment or question for H.D. to
let her know you stopped by. You can
enter her tour wide giveaway, where H.D. will be awarding a signed paperback of
JOE (US only -- digital copy substituted for international winners) and $15
Amazon gift card to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour, by
filling out the Rafflecopter form below.
You can also follow the rest of her tour here, the more stops you visit, the
better your odds of winning.

A
psychopath planning a massacre. A stuttering young girl with disturbing visions
of the future. Six ordinary people who will all be in the line of fire come the
day of the disaster.

Joe
Knowe is not a boy. She is twenty-one years old, and she sees things before
they happen; bad things, and the worst thing she has ever faced is just around
the corner. A madman is going to shoot up the college Joe attends. The trouble
is, her gift is stingy on the details she needs to divert the impending
tragedy. Now, Joe has four days to figure out the mystery and save the lives of
many.

From
the author of The Alexa Montgomery Saga comes a tense tale that glimpses the
mind of a genuine psychopath, follows an unlikely hero, and explores real-life
terror in a race against time that will leave the reader breathless.

EXCERPT

“But
it had been big. It had been a life-changing, rapid moment that had altered the
little raven-haired girl forever. For better or worse, it was one of the
moments that had made her into the person she was today, permanently changed
her outlook on life and wiped away the moisture behind her young ears.

She
had been only twelve years old. The backs of her ears should have stayed wet
for a while yet, like most twelve year old’s do. But her greenness had been
swept away nonetheless, and there was nothing she could do about it.

And
it wasn’t fair.

But
that’s life, baby, and that shit ain’t always fair.”

AUTHOR Bio and Links:

H.
D. Gordon is the bestselling author of THE ALEXA MONTGOMERY SAGA, THE JOE KNOWE
SERIES, and THE SURAH STORMSONG NOVELS.
She is a lifelong reader and writer; a true lover of words. A mother, a
self-proclaimed philosopher and a wordsmith, H. D. is twenty-five years old and
lives in the northeastern United States.

Wednesday, July 30, 2014

Welcome
to my stop on the Blurb Blitz Tour, presented by Goddess Fish Promotions for The Ashes That Remain by A.M. Griffin. Please leave a
comment or question for A.M. to let her know you stopped by. You can enter her tour wide giveaway, for a
$20 Amazon GC, by filling out the Rafflecopter form below. You can also follow the rest of her tour here,
the more stops you visit, the better your odds of winning.

The Ashes that Remain

By
A.M. Griffin

Cimmerian
Moon #2

Publisher: Three Twenty One, LLC

Expected
Release Date: August 6, 2014

Genre:
Science Fiction/Dystopian

Add
to Goodreads

About the
book:

We’re
at war against the aliens that have invaded Earth, fighting the only way we
can—by surviving. I have more than most people do, but although I know it’s
stupid to hold on, I can’t let go of what might have been—can’t help dreaming
of something more. No matter how I tell myself it would be easier to do what
everyone else wants me to, there’s a part of me that can’t give in.

Making
the best of the situation is one thing. Settling, even to make other people
happy, is something else.

Then
we hear the alien mother ships have disappeared. Of course we have to go and
investigate. What we find lands us in a huge mess that we somehow have to clean
up and, as our little enclave is rocked to the core with even more changes, I’m
learning a hard lesson.

The
more things change—for the better or the worse—there’s no fighting human
nature, and building on the ashes that remain will take everything we have. And
maybe more.

EXCERPT

“Ridiculous.
Forget about everyone else here, okay? What about Mia and me?” I can hear the
crack in my voice as it rises. “Do you think we’d be able to go along
pretending life could be the same without you?” I reach out for his hands and
hold them. “Every time you go up top I pray you come back safely. I’m not talking
about close my eyes and say a silent prayer, I’m talking about getting on my
knees, clasping my hands and praying—loudly.”

MJ
chuckles low. “You sound like Shayla. She was always praying about something or
another.”

I
give his hands a squeeze and let them go. “That’s where I got it from. That
girl knew how to pray away any kind of anxiety I was feeling.”

“A
lot of good it did her in the end.”

“Hey!
Don’t say that. Don’t you dare do that to her memory. She prayed because it
gave her strength and peace of mind. Praying or not praying had nothing to do
with the aliens killing her.”

“When
the lizards were attacking you guys, Mia and I held hands and prayed for you
two. We couldn’t say anything out loud, but we prayed silently. And praying
didn’t work. They killed her and took you anyway.”

I
can hear the pain in his voice and my chest constricts just thinking about the
amount of guilt he places on himself. “MJ, please. She enjoyed praying and she
encouraged everyone around her to pray. It would’ve made her happy that you and
Mia were praying for her.”

“Sometimes
when I think back on it, I think my prayer wasn’t good enough. Like I didn’t
pray hard enough… And, because of that, it was my fault.”

I
narrow my eyes on him and pull back. “I really feel like slapping some sense
into you right now.”

His
head shoots up. “What?”

“You
heard me. First you come in here telling me I shouldn’t go because I might die
and Ian shouldn’t go because Mia is pregnant. Then you say Shayla died because
you didn’t pray hard enough. Do you understand how crazy you’re talking right
now?”

“It’s
not crazy. I’m speaking the truth.”

“I
miss Shayla too. Just because I wasn’t friends with her as long as you were
doesn’t mean I miss her any less. Are you forgetting that I was there when the
lizards attacked? It stepped over me to get to her. Do you realize the guilt I
feel every day?” I take in a breath that seems to burn my lungs. “Do you even
want to know about the nightmares I still have?” I whisper.

He
watches me with wide eyes and shakes his head.

“I
should’ve snapped out of my paralyzing fear and crawled to my sword and stuck
that thing right in its back. If I hadn’t been so scared Shayla might still be
alive today. There was nothing you could’ve done to save her, but I could’ve
done plenty.” By the time I finish, my voice cracks and tears burn my cheeks.

I
get up and head to my locker, leaving MJ to stare after me. When I open my
locker door, I do with it with such force that the door swings and clangs
against the side, making the sound of metal ring out through my room.

I
snatch up my clothes, not caring if they’re clean or dirty. Right now I just
want to go to the showers and sit and let the cool water rain over me to help
drown out my tears.

Before
I can step away from my locker, MJ’s arms are around my neck. He leans down to
bury his face on my shoulder. Right then, all of the anger I feel toward him
dissipates. I drop my clothes, freeing my hands to hold onto his arms and rest
my head on the side of his.

“Do
you think we’ll ever be okay again?” I ask softly.

“I
don’t know.”

Neither
one of us move as he cries softly on my shoulder and I rub his arms, giving him
comfort. MJ hardly ever talks about Shayla or her death but he knows that I’m
always here for him. He doesn’t say anything else, he just cries softly and I
let him.

I
don’t know if we’ll ever recover from anything we’ve been through, but I pray
that we will.

AUTHOR INFORMATION:

A.M.
Griffin is a wife who rarely cooks, mother of three, dog owner (and sometimes
dog owned), a daughter, sister, aunt and friend. She’s a hard worker whose two
favorite outlets are reading and writing. She enjoys reading everything from
mystery novels to historical romances and of course fantasy romance. She is a
believer in the unbelievable, open to all possibilities from mermaids in our
oceans and seas, angels in the skies and intelligent life forms in distant
galaxies.

Welcome
to my stop on the Virtual Book Tour, presented by Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours, for The Bone Church by Victoria Dougherty. Please leave a comment or question for Ms.
Dougherty to let her know you stopped by.

In
the surreal and paranoid underworld of wartime Prague, fugitive lovers Felix
Andel and Magdalena Ruza make some dubious alliances – with a mysterious Roman
Catholic cardinal, a reckless sculptor intent on making a big political
statement, and a gypsy with a risky sex life. As one by one their chances for
fleeing the country collapse, the two join a plot to assassinate Hitler’s
nefarious Minister of Public Enlightenment and Propaganda, Josef Goebbels.

But
the assassination attempt goes wildly wrong, propelling the lovers in separate
directions.

Felix’s
destiny is sealed at the Bone Church, a mystical pilgrimage site on the
outskirts of Prague, while Magdalena is thrust even deeper into the bowels of a
city that betrayed her and a homeland soon to be swallowed by the Soviets. As
they emerge from the shadowy fog of World War II, and stagger into the foul
haze of the Cold War, Felix and Magdalena must confront the past, and a
dangerous, uncertain future.

No one ever really knows the depth of man’s depravity or the
lengths an individual will take to survive an untenable situation. While this has been proven time and again, Victoria Dougherty’s novel, The Bone Church,
gives us an excellent example of both.
Setting her story mostly in Prague,
Ms. Dougherty takes us on a journey between events occurring during World
War II (specifically 1943) and the Soviet “liberation” and then occupation of
Czechoslovakia through 1956. Well-developed
primary and secondary characters, vivid descriptions of a country going through
the hell of war, and a church that manages to survive both are key to Ms. Dougherty’s story.

Beginning her story in 1956, Ms. Dougherty introduces us to “Father” Felix, a man who is on a
mission to rescue a woman from communist Czechoslovakia with forged
papers. The woman he seeks from his
past, Magdalena, has always had a place in his heart and their history during
the years of Nazi occupation could result in her death. The fact she’s Jewish, a member of an ethnic
group despise by both the Nazi’s and the Russian communists, also plays a large
role in his need to rescue her.

Taking us back and forth between the years 1943 and 1956, Ms. Dougherty develops her characters,
the political and social background of Prague, and a forbidden romance. Reminding us of the horrors of war, Ms. Dougherty paints a picture of Prague
which reminded me once again of just how bad things became for the Jews who
didn’t escape Europe before the war. Ms. Dougherty’s characters portrayed the
fear, distrust and betrayal in such a way that you could feel it while reading
the book.

Ms.
Dougherty also showcased Felix’s unusual talent, an almost paranormal
ability to communicate with the dead, which may or may not have been tied to an
event in his family’s past. The author
also focused on the Roman Catholic Church’s situation during the war, what they
did and didn’t do to help war victims and portrayed the importance of one
particular church, The Church of All Saints (aka The Bone Church), played in Felix
and Magdalena’s experiences. Ms. Dougherty also highlighted the importance
that art, both religious and secular, has always played in terms of finance
when dealing with occupying armies.

This is my first experience reading a book by Ms. Dougherty and I was very pleased
with my experience reading most of the book.
My only complaint was how the transitions in time between the past (40’s)
and present (’56) were handled. There
were a few times that I was confused and had to re-read a section to make sure
I knew when the particular events were taking place. Overall I found The Bone Church to be an enjoyable
historical suspense thriller and I look forward to reading more of Ms. Dougherty’s work.

My Rating: 4.5 out of
5 Crowns

FTC Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book via NetGalley as a part of this tour in exchange for a fair and honest review.

About
the Author

Victoria Dougherty writes fiction, drama, and essays that
often revolve around spies, killers, curses and destinies. Her work has been
published or profiled in The New York Times, USA Today, International Herald
Tribune and elsewhere. Earlier in her career, while living in Prague, she
co-founded Black Box Theater, translating, producing and acting in several
Czech plays. She lives with her husband and children in Charlottesville,
Virginia.

Hi
Everyone, I'm really shy and seventeen. Oh, I have this really sweet German
Shepherd named Random. I hate talking in front of people, but when Ms. Roberts asked
me if I could tell you a little bit about my life and all this strange stuff
that's been happening, I decided I'd give it a try. Petrov tells me it's better
to come out of my shell once in a while anyway :)

So,
I thought I was just a normal girl, going to high school, flying under most of
the kids's and teachers's radar. Let's face it, I'm not one of the cool kids, I
don't play sports. I like video games and Cos Play. I'd love to go to ComicCon
(like that's ever going to happen), and I have more in common with Star Trek
and Star Wars fans than those who watch the Teen Mom or 16 and Pregnant.
YouTube and Netflix are better than cable any day. My life was pretty boring.

But,
it all change when this really hot guy talked into it. Petrov.

At
first, I considered him to be totally insane, like around the bend, looney
toons. He comes to my house, tells me that I'm some kind of old soul, and to
top it all off, demons are real.

Ha
Ha Ha! Good joke, right? Wrong. It wasn't until I saw them with my own eyes that
I finally believed him though. We've had some strange adventures, scary
adventures, but through it all, Petrov has kept me safe. (Don't tell anyone,
but we're kind of dating too.)

Well,
besides the demons who seem to always to crave either my blood or my death, I
guess my life is pretty much the same.

Oh,
one more thing, I found out I have a guardian angel, Constantine. He's seems
pretty cool too.

Is
there anything else you'd like to share with our readers, Rena?

Um,
I like chocolate cake and butter pecan ice cream, but not together. On, and
fudge bars. :)

LOL,
thanks Rena!

I
hope all the readers get a chance to read all of Rena's story in SoulFire!!

Seventeen-year-old Rena Langley wants her life to be normal.
She works hard to not attract attention, to be a face lost in the crowd. A
gamer, she succeeds in flying under the radar. Except for the nightmares.
They've plagued her life and they're worse than ever.

Petrov DeForest claims that the monsters from her nightmares
are deadly real and hunger for the pureness of her soul. She's starting to
think he's right, even if she doesn't believe they've spent lifetimes together.
Then Petrov tells her she has the defense against the monsters held deep within
her body, her SoulFire. She's certain he's insane. Until the monsters invade
her waking hours. Using her SoulFire to defeat the monsters means accepting her
destiny.

Ben Foster is a detective investigating the murder of two
students at Rena's high school. Can she be involved? Her name is the last word
his partner spoke before being swallowed by the darkness.

Can Rena and Petrov survive? Or will this lifetime end like
so many have before?

Rena rolled her eyes as she increased the video game's
volume. “Have fun Brea,” she shouted over the racket, ignoring her sister and
the news that the relative invasion had begun. She would never begrudge her
mother's time with her only sister, or the injection of testosterone in a house
flooded with female hormones, but she didn't have to like it. Her father and
her uncle Ron were friends from way back, at least to their college days.
Pretty soon it would be all fishing trips and barbeques.

“He's been stuck with creepy Eugene all summer, but they're
here now, and he's all ours!” Brea buzzed, almost quivering, and shot to her
feet.

“No, he's all yours, and Eugene's not that creepy.” Rena
ignored the rest of her sister's words, slipping the headphones back into
place.

“You gotta see him! But, remember, I saw him first!” She
dragged Rena to her feet.

The problem with Brea was that she never had a shortage of
boyfriends, and another stupid jock was so not worth Rena's time.

“Oh, you saw him first all right. Go for it; I've had my
fill.” Rena tugged her hand from Brea's clutch. “It's very okay with me.
Besides, I don't want to deal with relatives or their friends, but you go
ahead, have fun.” Rena's hands found the middle of Brea's back, prodding her
toward the door. Guys were the last thing on Rena's mind. She remembered the
humiliation of being ditched. Her first and only date had left with Brea
instead.

“Oh, honestly! Just come and meet him, then you can come
back here to brood and hide. Besides, he's already asked about y-o-u.” Brea
crowed as she sucked in another breath. “Isn't it driving you crazy? Knowing a
strange boy has asked about you? Come on, you're not still mad about Bobby?”
Brea squeezed her eyes closed. “It's not my fault he asked me to go out with
him.”

Rena shook her head in disbelief. How could Brea not see how
wrong that was? “Oh, no, not me, I'm not mad at all.” She reached down,
stroking Random's soft fur. “Gee-sus, Brea! He dumped me in the living room,
and you left with him!” It had all been a ploy to get close to Brea. He was a
creep-a-zoid from the outer reaches of Tamriel. Rena tried to imagine him as
one of the goons on Skyrim.

Then, she stopped cold, almost dropping the game controller.
“What do you mean he asked about me? Why would he think about me? I don't know
him.” Rena wanted to strangle Brea. Now it was going to drive her crazy.

“Come on Ree, say you're not mad.” Brea fluttered her pretty
blonde eyelashes. “Come on, I'd do it for you.” She pushed out her bottom lip
in a pout, giving Rena her best imitation of puppy dog eyes.

Rena snorted a laugh, covering her mouth with her hands.
“You're delusional Brea.”

“Oh, come on, you know you have got to meet this guy! It
could be your destiny!” Brea breathed with wonder as she wheedled. “Besides,
Mom said to come get you, to introduce you to our company. Want me to go back
and tell her you said no?” Her toe started to tap an annoying beat.

Rena squeezed her eyes closed. “Okay, all right, don't get
your panties in a bunch.” She eyed Brea, and thought, the sooner I get it over
with the better. “Fine, I'll come meet your Petrov whatever, but don't say I
didn't do you any favors.” Rena heaved a sigh, dragging her feet as she
followed her sister out of the room, Random close to her side.

Brea hurried ahead to the living room where the others
waited. When Rena finally made her way down the hall, dog quivering at her
side, Brea snatched up her hand.

Rena could only stand and stare. His eyes... His sapphire
gaze faded to an icy blue as she became aware of his critical appraisal, and
she felt like a bug on display.

Lillie J. Roberts is a multi-published author who loves to
reviews books as well. Lillie (a.k.a Dottie at Tink’s Place), enjoys
sharing her thoughts about the books she’s read. Stop by sometime, let her know
what your think. Her preferred genre is paranormal romance, the darker the
better, though if you give her a good thriller/chiller and she’s happy too. She
loves all types paranormal creatures from vampires, were- creatures, witches,
ghosts, and other things that go bump in the night. She loves a good ghost
story, so if you have one, share it with her. The scariest book she’s ever read
is a toss up between Bram Stroker’s Dracula or Stephen King’s It (both gave her
nightmares).

Lillie lives in central Illinois with her husband, three
children, and one wild Westie (who is also her reading and critique partner; he
listens to all her new story ideas, almost always with a wicked sense of
humor). She is an animal lover as are her heroines and heroes (and no, that
doesn’t include insects or spiders). She loves movies and listens to them while
she writes, it doesn’t matter if they’re old or new, as long as they’re
engaging. She enjoys all kinds of music, especially if it has a hard driving
beat. You’ll find some on her favorite artists mentioned in the pages of her
books. She writes Paranormal Romance, Urban Fantasy, Chillers/Thillers,
Suspense from Modern Contemporary to New Adult and YA, from sweetly innocent to
naughty romance. She tends to be a genre bender, mixing her genres to provide
an unique read.

About Me

Welcome to the Queen of All She Reads Blog. I review all genre of books. Whatever catches my fancy. I either purchase the books or receive the books through a book tour, NetGalley, or the publisher. I do not get paid to review any book.
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